Seattle considered odds-on favorites to repeat

The Seattle Seahawks' organized team activities began Tuesday with the defense making a couple big plays -- specifically, a Bobby Wagner interception return for a touchdown -- and then letting the offense know about.

The offense subsequently returned the favor -- receiver Doug Baldwin going deep for a long gain followed by a little yapping back at his just-beaten defender.

In other words, business as usual for the defending Super Bowl champions, which is just how coach Pete Carroll wants it.

Seattle was last been seen beating the Denver Broncos 43-8 in the Super Bowl, and the Seahawks were installed by Las Vegas as the favorite to repeat.

However, Carroll wants the team to continue to carry the same collective chip on its shoulder that helped propel the Seahawks to that point. Early indications, he said, are that success hasn't changed the Seahawks.

"What's happened before is obviously significant, but it doesn't mean anything unless we go out and keep working," Carroll said. "We just do this one day at a time, and we did exactly that today, and so that's a good indication that the guys are on board with what we're talking about and how we want to go about it. This takes discipline and commitment to doing it the right way, and so far everything is going fine. We have a long ways to go."

The first day didn't bring a lot of surprises other than Carroll's statement that if the season began today, free safety Earl Thomas would be the team's punt returner, a job vacated when receiver Golden Tate signed as a free agent with the Detroit Lions.

"He's really excited about that," Carroll said of Thomas embracing his new role. "He's a guy that has the most catches for us, but I'm anxious to see how (receiver) Bryan Walters fits into that. He's got experience in his background. Percy Harvin is out there vying for it, Richard Sherman would tell you he's the best one, and he catches the ball really well. He and Earl would take it right now."

Thomas is happy to add to his workload.

"I'm very excited," he said. "I've been waiting on this opportunity. This is what I do -- I'm an athlete. I've been trying to tell Coach Carroll to put me back there for the longest. I always try to go back there during walkthroughs, just to try to sneak a punt return, show them who I am and I want to score a touchdown, so this is a perfect opportunity for me to score a touchdown.

"I'm an offensive guy at heart. That's why I don't try to go out of bounds when I catch interceptions."

Carroll also revealed that linebacker Malcolm Smith, the Super Bowl MVP, would miss OTAs after recently undergoing surgery to clean up some loose bodies in his ankle. Carroll said Smith would be back for training camp.